The Judiciary says it is probing the motive behind a man who set himself on fire outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, a man set himself on fire outside the Supreme Court in Nairobi over what he termed as delayed justice.
In a statement following the incident, Judiciary Spokesperson Paul Ndemo confirmed that the man, who had sustained serious injuries in the shocking incident, would be questioned by the police to determine the motive behind his actions.
Ndemo said Judiciary was investigating whether the incident is linked to a court matter.
“It is expected that once the man is treated and out of danger, the police will interrogate him to establish the cause of his shocking action. Meanwhile, the Judiciary is taking a keen interest in the matter, with a view to determining whether his drastic action could be linked to a court case,” Ndemo said.
The Judiciary said the man was carrying some documents and a bottle containing a liquid.
While standing on the street pavement outside the Supreme Court, he placed the documents on the ground, doused himself in the liquid—believed to be petrol—and pulled out a lighter, setting himself on fire.
Ndemo said security officers at the Supreme Court gate responded immediately and rushed to rescue the man by putting out the fire.
“Police officers guarding the Supreme Court reacted swiftly to the situation, rescuing the man by extinguishing the flames. A joint effort by the Nairobi County Government and the officers saw him rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital,” said Ndemo.
Court bureaucracy
The victim, identified as James Kipira according to documents found with him, sustained serious burns following the Tuesday morning incident.
The man later told police and medics who rescued him that he was frustrated by court bureaucracy and had no hope of getting justice in a case over a car sale agreement he had entered into in Mombasa in 2023.
The incident shined a spotlight on frustrations by litigants amid recurring claims of corruption in Judiciary and prolonged delays in resolution of cases.
The Judiciary has consistently denied graft allegations challenging litigants accusing judges and magistrates of graft to file compliant with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
Judiciary has also blamed pending cases on inadequate resources including judicial officers.
A report released in November 2024 indicated that the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Magistrates’ Courts, and Small Claims Courts recorded the highest number of pending cases, as the Judiciary registered a 1.2 per cent increase in backlog.
The report stated that pending cases across the Judiciary rose from 625,643 to 649,310 during the period under review.
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